One aspect of laying flooring, such as carpet and vinyl, is that seams are formed between adjacent pieces of flooring. It is important to the quality, durability and esthetic appeal of the flooring that seams be relatively hidden and difficult to discern. For example, when carpet is laid, seam joining tools can be used to mix fibers from the adjacent pieces of carpet to hide the position of the seam.
When forming a seam, glue is used along the seam line to affix the flooring to the underlying surface. For example, hot melt glue in the form of seaming tape is often used along the seam line. In this case, the seaming tape is laid out along the underlying floor surface at the interface between two pieces of flooring. A seaming iron is then slowly passed over the seaming tape to melt lines of hot melt glue on the seaming tape. Once the hot melt glue is melted, the flooring pieces are placed together over the melted glue to form the seam. After the glue dries, the flooring is fixed in place, and the seam is formed. In the case of carpet, a seam joining tool can then be used to help hide the position of the seam.
In the seam forming process, it is important for the flooring to be properly set when the glue dries. Careless work can result in poor adhesion and in the flooring not being flush with the underlying surface. Bubbles can be particularly troublesome with vinyl flooring. Consequently, although not generally commercially available, various home-made weights have been used to compress the flooring during the period of time after the seam has been formed and while the glue is drying. This compression both smooths the glue to form a planar surface as well as produces better adhesion between the flooring and the underlying surface.
Conventional compression weights used for this purpose include tool box trays weighted with tools, large pieces of wood, and pieces of steel covered with tape. These and other conventional compression weights suffer from a number of problems. For example, tool box trays can leave marks on the flooring due to the color of the trays or due to rusting. Similarly, pieces of steel can leave rust marks on the flooring. Duct tape has been used in an effort to cover the surfaces and avoid this problem. However, the duct tape can cause additional problems as well as eventually becoming worn and ineffective. Further, conventional weights such as wood and steel must be relatively large to be effective. The size and bulk of these weights make them unwieldy and difficult to transport.